If I tell you it's awards season, you're probably thinking MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year, like a total pleb. Rest assured, I have my thoughts about how those should go:
AL MVP: Aaron Judge, OF, NYY
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani, DH, LAD
AL CY: Tarik Skubal, SP, DET
NL CY: Chris Sale, SP, ATL
AL ROY: Luis Gil, SP, NYY
NL ROY: Paul Skenes, SP, PIT
But that's easy, right? Anyone could tell you who's winning those awards. But predicting the winners of awards that you don't even know exist -- now, there's a challenge.
I have many such awards -- some might even say too many -- and I'm going to share them with you now whether you like it or not. Of course, you probably should like it because you like Fantasy Baseball, and if you like Fantasy Baseball, then you'll probably like something that encapsulates the season that was.
Because oh, what a season it was.
Most impactful player
The superlative of superlatives goes to the first ever 50/50 player, who you may remember was downgraded somewhat on Draft Day both for his DH-only status and recovery from elbow surgery. Only a year after Ronald Acuna put together arguably the best Fantasy Baseball season in history, Ohtani found a way to top it.
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Most valuable hitter
The emphasis here is on "value." A 29-year-old multi-time castoff with moderate strikeout issues, Rooker seemed destined to fall off eventually, but instead, he got better, strikeouts and all, over the course of the season. And like that, the 260th player drafted at the start of 2024 became a top-20 performer for Fantasy.
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Most valuable pitcher
Lugo was drafted even later than Rooker, 282nd overall, but he ended up being the sixth-best pitcher in 5x5 scoring and the fifth-best in points. The ERA estimators all suggest he overachieved by a substantial margin, but he recovered from a second-half skid to deliver a 2.08 ERA over his final six starts, four of which lasted seven innings or more.
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Most improved hitter
"Improvement" seems like an understatement for an 11-year journeyman who hadn't put together a season of Fantasy consequence since 2018, and what's more is that there's no obvious explanation for Profar's success. Still, he genuinely hit the ball harder en route to becoming a top-12 Fantasy outfielder, and the underlying numbers mostly back up the forward-facing ones.
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Most improved pitcher
Lopez's return to the rotation after a two-year bullpen stint went impossibly well for the first four months, so it seemed only natural that a pair of arm issues in the second half would reverse his momentum. But he actually became more effective thereafter, missing bats at a much higher rate, which makes for increasing optimism that his 2024 wasn't a total mirage.
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Most improved, midseason edition
After four years of hitting .221 with a .744 OPS, followed by three months of hitting .196 with a .591 OPS, Eugenio Suarez then went on to hit .312 with a .974 OPS over the final three months of 2024, reliving his glory days with the Reds. How likely the 33-year-old is to follow up on that performance is anyone's guess.
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Biggest breakthrough
Duran joined the ranks of the outfield elite in 2024, and since nothing in his profile stands out as unsustainable, he'll likely be drafted that way in 2025 (say, the first two rounds). In fact, in many ways, his breakthrough season was just a continuation of his 2023, only with more regular playing time.
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Biggest breakthrough, midseason edition
Butler went from batting .179 (24 for 134) with two homers, four steals, and a .529 OPS in the first three months to .302 (84 for 278) with 20 homers, 14 steals, and a .943 OPS in the final three, cutting his strikeout rate from 30.7 percent to 20.6 percent during that time. The tools were always apparent, but this kind of success was foreign to him even in the minors.
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Best comeback, hitter edition
The No. 1 overall player in 2021 had consistently fallen short of expectations since then, most especially (given his high exit velocity readings and low strikeout rates) in the batting average department. If you're impressed by Guerrero's full-season batting line, you'll be floored to learn that he hit .345 from May 1 on.
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Best comeback, pitcher edition
After years of injuries, a mostly healthy 2023 season seemed to confirm that Flaherty would never recapture his ace standing from 2019, but some encouraging reports out of Tigers camp this spring gave new reason for optimism. Sure enough, Flaherty followed through, and while his production slipped a little after joining the Dodgers, there's no pitcher more deserving of this honor.
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Best comeback, midseason edition
The reigning NL Rookie of the Year was nothing short of useless for the first three months of 2024, batting .213 with two homers and a .619 OPS, which led many to conclude that his repeated shoulder scares from 2023 had come home to roost. But Carroll hit .250 with 20 homers and an .889 OPS the rest of the way, ultimately finishing as a top-10 outfielder.
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Best call (by me)
If you'll indulge me this one last opportunity to point out that I predicted Tarik Skubal would win AL Cy Young as far back as last September, I promise I'll never bring it up again.
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Bobby Big Bat award
This award normally factors in bang for the buck, and seeing as Judge hit 58 homers in a year when only four total players topped 40, he was indeed drafted too low at 12th overall. His 144 RBI were also the most for any player since 2008, making for another historic season just two years after he set an AL record with 62 home runs.
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Freddie Fleet Foot award
No, Turang didn't lead the majors in stolen bases, but he was one of just three players with 50 despite being the 405th player drafted on average. Unfortunately, he hit only .214 over the final three months after hitting .292 over the first three, so his 2025 standing is very much up for debate.
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Ace-up-the-sleeve award
Manaea's 3.74 ERA over his first 20 starts was just enough for him to remain rostered in the majority of CBS Sports leagues, and boy is that a good thing. His very next start is when he implemented a lower release point, taking inspiration from Chris Sale's delivery, and indeed performed like an ace the rest of the way with a 3.09 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and 9.9 K/9 across 12 starts.
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Biggest fakeout, hitter edition
When so many hitters were struggling in April, Bohm's .366 (41 for 112) batting average, four homers and 1.036 OPS were enough to convince everyone he had taken a turn for the studly, overcoming the power and plate discipline issues that had confined him to the mushy middle to that point in his career. Unfortunately, the next five months saw him hit .258 (114 for 442) with 11 homers and a .713 OPS.
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Biggest fakeout, pitcher edition
For much of the first half, you'd be raked over the coals for suggesting Suarez was anything less than the second coming of Greg Maddux, given that he had a 1.83 ERA as late as June 29. But his newly elite command eventually gave way to something more typical, resulting in a 6.54 ERA over his final 11 starts, only one of which lasted even six innings.
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Perpetual fakeout
Just when you think you can trust Keller in spite of his minimal swing-and-miss and shifty velocity readings, he pulls the rug out from under you. Last year, he went from having a 3.31 ERA in his first 19 starts to a 5.59 ERA in his final 13. This year, he went from having 3.20 ERA in his first 22 starts to a 7.29 ERA in his final nine.
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Fakest fakeout
The name for this award may be too clever by half, but what I'm trying to say is that Holliday's first 10 games back from the minors in early August -- during which he hit .278 (10 for 36) with five home runs -- led us to believe he had turned the corner from his April debut and was finally ready to deliver on his top prospect standing. But instead, he hit .200 (24 for 120) with no homers and a 31 percent strikeout rate the rest of the way.
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Biggest overachiever
You can probably tell by his high WHIP and low strikeout rate that Peterson didn't earn his 2.90 ERA, but a high ground-ball rate, which he offers, can sometimes make for such disparities. Even so, his 3.67 FIP, 4.10 xFIP, and 4.58 xERA make a compelling case that he deserved far worse.
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Biggest underachiever
Crazy though it may be to suggest that Soto, a likely finalist for AL MVP and surefire first-rounder next year, actually underachieved in 2024, that's exactly what the data shows. By xBA, he was the biggest fifth-biggest underachiever, batting .288 rather than .319, and by xSLG, he was the single biggest underachiever, slugging .569 rather than .658.
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Biggest heel turn
Gil played the role of hero in his first 12 starts with a 1.82 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 11.0 K/9 -- numbers so good that he remains the AL Rookie of the Year favorite because of the foundation they laid -- but he was actually a villain for the majority of 2024, delivering a 4.92 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 9.4 K/9 in his final 17 starts. He also led the majors with 77 walks.
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Biggest weirdo
This award goes to the player whose production makes a mockery of conventional wisdom, and Fitzgerald, with his 22nd percentile exit velocity readings and 4th percentile strikeout rate, would certainly qualify. With few exceptions, a successful hitter will make hard contact or consistent contact, if not both, and I'm still of the mind that Fitzgerald is due for the same dose of reality Zack Gelof received this year.
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Best Jackson
I'm sorry, Ms. Jackson, but I could only choose one, and I'm going with Merrill over Chourio on account of him placing four spots ahead in 5x5 scoring and eight spots ahead in points scoring (among outfielders, I mean). Chourio was the stronger Jackson over the final four months, though, which is why I rank him ahead for 2025. Holliday and Jobe, meanwhile, still have a ways to go.
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Most bubble wrapped
When the down-and-out White Sox failed to move Crochet at the trade deadline, their entire mission became to preserve his trade value for the offseason. And they made no secret about it, cutting him off at four innings over his final 14 starts and denying us a Fantasy ace in the process.
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Sizzle reel award
From the time he debuted May 11 to the end of his rookie season, Skenes was appointment viewing, leading all starting pitchers in average four-seamer velocity while mixing up his secondary use like a seasoned pro. Though he's the favorite for NL Rookie of the Year, not enough has been made of him having a 1.96 ERA only a year after being drafted.
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The one Fantasy Footballers won't see coming
There were some encouraging signs for Schwellenbach in his first few turns, but seeing as he carried a 5.68 ERA into July, suffice it to say he wasn't really on anyone's radar yet. By the time it was clear he was onto something with a 2.54 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 9.3 K/9 in his final 15 starts, only the diehards were still paying attention.
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The one no one saw coming
Though he had pretty good strikeout numbers in the minors, Arrighetti was only a prospect in the sense that the Astros didn't have anyone better, and for four months, he indeed looked like he was just filling a spot in the rotation. But then came the three double digit-strikeout efforts in August, highlighting a two-month stretch in which he put together a 2.72 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 11.4 K/9.
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Vinny Vindication
If I may pat myself on the back again, I maintained during Sale's four-year bout with injuries (through much mockery and derision, mind you) that he still looked the part of an ace if only he could stay healthy. Well, he did stay relatively healthy in 2024, going on to win the NL pitching triple crown and likely his first Cy Young as well.
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Mr. Funny Math
Some people hate this sort of thing, but I love it. While Ober had a pretty good year in 2024, two impossibly bad starts where everything spiraled out of control markedly inflated his numbers. Take them out, and he's down to a 3.18 ERA and 0.91 WHIP.
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Mr. April-is-just-a-warmup
King came over to San Diego hardly proven as a starter, and there was a point early this year when it seemed like a failed experiment. Through seven appearances, he had 5.00 ERA and 1.47 WHIP, struggling to control the strike zone and keep the ball in the yard. After the calendar flipped to May, though, he had a 2.42 ERA and 1.12 WHIP.
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Mr. Wait, who?
It's not just that Francis, a 28-year-old with minimal success out of the bullpen, became a useful starting pitcher down the stretch. It's that he became arguably the most dominant in baseball, allowing just one hit over seven-plus innings four times in his nine starts for a 1.53 ERA, 0.53 WHIP, and 8.5 K/9. We'll spend all offseason debating what it means.
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Mr. Throwback
Not since Michael Bourn or perhaps even Juan Pierre have we seen a player profile as Xavier Edwards does, if his half-season as Marlins shortstop is to be believed. His Triple-A numbers the past two years suggest he really could compete for the league lead in batting average and stolen bases despite zero power, but I remain skeptical in this era of high-octane fastballs and advanced defensive positioning that such a player could exist.
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Mr. Look-who-finally-decided-to-show-up
Rodriguez is no stranger to second-half surges, but a high ankle sprain made it so he didn't look the part of a first-rounder until September, when he hit .328 (39 for 119) with seven homers and six steals, salvaging a 20/20 season in the process. Honorable mentions go to Michael Harris and Wyatt Langford.
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Mr. Two-face
Bradley had a nine-start stretch in June and July in which he put together a 0.82 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 10.6 K/9, looking like a top pitching prospect made good. He followed it up with a six-start stretch in which he had a 9.85 ERA, 1.84 WHIP, and 7.6 K/9, making him out to be the sort of pitcher who lives and dies by the effectiveness of one pitch -- in his case, a splitter.
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Mr. Day-late-and-dollar-short
Ramirez was on the cusp of becoming the seventh player to join the 40/40 club (a feat that would surely go overlooked in a year when Shohei Ohtani started the 50/50 club), but rain intervened, canceling the Guardians' final game. We'll never know if Ramirez would have sent one more ball over the fence (and perhaps also hit a double to become the second ever 40/40/40 man).
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Mr. Health-is-overrated
We no longer have to wonder how Lewis' numbers would look if he could only stay healthy. Instead, we have to wonder if his small-sample heroics were some sort of cosmic fluke. His 58 games in the second half this year represented his longest healthy stretch as a major-leaguer, and in them, he hit .207 (42 for 203) with a .620 OPS.
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Mr. Just-heal-already
Diagnosed with a bruised shin in early June, Tucker went from being day to day to facing a minimal IL stint to ... missing half the season. At some point along the way, the Astros learned Tucker's injury was actually a stress fracture, but they kept stringing us along, making us believe our first-round pick would come back any day now. The fact Tucker returned to hit .365 (23 for 63) with four homers and a 1.041 OPS in September was of little consolation.
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Mr. Thanks-for-the-memories (tie)
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Verlander, Scherzer, and Kershaw are all generational talents, multi-time Cy Young winners and first-ballot Hall of Famers, but they aren't doing us any good in Fantasy anymore, struggling to take the mound regularly and sputtering when they do. Even if they intend to pitch in 2025, which remains to be seen, we should treat them as if they're retired.
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